California Pulse


  • Ex-Flextronics Deputy GC Wants IP Theft Suit Tossed

    A former deputy general counsel for Flextronics AP LLC, the California-based arm of Singapore electronics giant Flex Ltd., has asked a federal judge to throw out a suit claiming he worked to transfer company patents to a startup he secretly co-founded before leaving Flex in 2015.

  • iStock-1649966885.jpg

    Benesch Launches Brand Refresh To Reflect Firm's 'Evolution'

    As the firm approaches its 90th year of operations, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP announced this week that the firm has completed a brand refresh to mark its "evolution" and sustained growth.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Knobbe Martens' work as IP counsel on a $9.9 billion transaction leads this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from Feb. 13 to 27.

  • LegalLions.png

    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Milbank LLP, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry marked the end of February with another action-packed week as law firms expanded their talent and reach across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

  • 2_up_BT.png

    Barnes & Thornburg Names Two New AI Practice Co-Chairs

    Barnes & Thornburg LLP said Friday that it has chosen partners Brian McGinnis and Kaitlyn Stone to be the new co-chairs of its artificial intelligence practice, replacing the former chair who left the firm at the end of last year.

  • 3_up_frost.png

    Frost Launches Silicon Valley Office With White Collar Team

    Litigation boutique Frost LLP has continued expanding, announcing this week the opening of a Silicon Valley office and a team of white collar attorneys — all former in-house attorneys — who will be working out of that office.

  • Calif. Atty Agrees To Discipline From State Bar Over AI Errors

    A Los Angeles attorney has agreed to be disciplined for filing appellate briefs rife with artificial intelligence-hallucinated case law quotations, according to a stipulation approved Wednesday by the California State Bar Court, which found that he "recklessly and with gross negligence failed to perform legal services with competence."

  • iStock-800846586.jpg

    State Courts Navigate 'Perfect Storm' Of Missed Appearances

    State and local courts are taking innovative steps to reduce missed court appearances, which cost courts time and money, but also erode the morale of court workers and the trust of those who use them.

  • iStock-478252492.jpg

    Billing Blunders, Trust Traps For Small Firm Attys To Avoid

    Failing to send out bills in a timely manner and allowing overdrafts in client trust accounts are among the common mistakes that can cause big problems for solo and small firm attorneys, a lawyer who works with a legal tech company warned during a webinar this week.

  • 2_up_Willkie Farr.png

    Willkie Lands A&O Shearman Corporate Finance Pros In Calif.

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is boosting its transactional team, bringing in a pair of Allen Overy Shearman Sterling corporate finance aces as partners in its Silicon Valley office, one of whom will also become the new co-managing partner of that office.

  • Law Firm Real Estate Report

    In the spirit of Valentine's Day, some February matchmaking involving large groups of lateral hires helped several law firms expand their footprints into new markets over the past month.

  • Julie Jacobs.png

    HP Legal Chief Earned Over $5.4M In 2025

    HP Inc. legal chief Julie Jacobs raked in over $5.4 million in fiscal year 2025, an increase compared to the previous year thanks mostly to a nearly $900,000 rise in stock awards.

  • merge.jpg

    Hecht Partners Absorbs 11-Atty Florida Class Action Firm

    New York-headquartered litigation boutique Hecht Partners LLP announced Thursday that it is expanding into Florida and Minnesota after adding 11 attorneys and seven staff members by absorbing class action firm George Feldman McDonald PLLC.

  • Brown_Robert.jpg

    Greenberg Traurig Adds Procopio Tax, Real Estate Pro In Calif.

    Greenberg Traurig LLP is growing its California team, bringing in a Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP tax and real estate expert as a shareholder in its San Diego office.

  • 3_up_Axinn.png

    Axinn Adds 3 Former Federal Antitrust Litigators In DC And SF

    Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP continues adding antitrust attorneys, announcing Wednesday that three former government attorneys are joining the firm as partners — one in San Francisco and two in Washington, D.C.

  • Former Calif. Judge Can't Escape Sex Assault Case

    A former California Superior Court judge has lost his bid to toss five criminal counts alleging he sexually assaulted a court staffer and made false statements to investigators in an attempted cover-up.

  • iStock-2198078471.jpg

    How Introverted Lawyers Can Build Confidence And Thrive

    Despite being a third-generation lawyer, Claire E. Parsons had a recurring fear in the early part of her career that she did not belong as an attorney, at her firm, or in her practice.

  • Chemerinsky Headshot.jpg

    Alston & Bird Litigator Jumps To LA Boutique Rushing McCarl

    Los Angeles-based business litigation boutique Rushing McCarl LLP is adding to its ranks, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing in an Alston & Bird LLP litigator as a partner.

  • 9th Circ. Grants Atty Fee Appeal In Eye Drop Pricing Suit

    District courts cannot reduce fee awards to attorneys based on a firm's size, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion Tuesday, sending a case back to a California federal court to recalculate attorney fees awarded to a "small" firm that represented wholesalers in a Robinson-Patman Act suit against eye drop manufacturers.

  • Munchkin Can't Arbitrate Ex-GC's 'War On Families' Suit

    Baby products brand Munchkin Inc. lost its bid to arbitrate its former general counsel's suit alleging he was fired for complaining about the company's "war on families," after a California judge ruled a sexual harassment claim added in an amended version of his suit exempted him from mandatory arbitration.

  • iStock-901351330.jpg

    Judiciary Seeks Control Over Courthouse Maintenance

    The federal judiciary says courthouses are in "crisis," with an $8.3 billion backlog in maintenance, and on Tuesday repeated its request to Congress for the direct authority to maintain the buildings.

  • 2_up_HB.png

    Procopio Real Estate Pros Jump To Hanson Bridgett In Calif.

    Hanson Bridgett LLP is expanding its California team, bringing in a pair of Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP real estate attorneys as partners.

  • Mary O'Carroll Sandstone.png

    Ex-Goodwin Silicon Valley COO Joins Sandstone As Adviser

    Legal technology company Sandstone announced Tuesday that Mary O'Carroll, most recently the Silicon Valley-based chief operating officer of Goodwin Procter LLP, joined it as a product expert adviser.

  • 2_up_CB.png

    Freshfields Bicoastal M&A Tech Duo Move To Covington

    Covington & Burling LLP has strengthened its mergers and acquisitions group on both coasts with the additions of two former Freshfields LLP tech M&A partners.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • Why You Should Leverage AI For Privilege Review Author Photo

    While many lawyers still believe that a manual, document-by-document review is the best approach to privilege logging, certain artificial intelligence tools can bolster the traditional review process and make this aspect of electronic document review more efficient, more accurate and less costly, say Laura Riff and Michelle Six at Kirkland.

  • Persuading The Court With Visual Aids In Written Argument Author Photo

    Robert Dubose at Alexander Dubose describes several categories of visuals attorneys can use to make written arguments easier to understand or more persuasive, and provides tips for lawyers unused to working with anything but text.

  • BigLaw Vs. Mid-Law Summer Programs: The Pros And Cons Author Photo

    There are major differences between BigLaw and Mid-Law summer associate programs, and each approach can learn something from the other in terms of structure and scheduling, the on-the-job learning opportunities provided, and the social experiences offered, says Anna Tison at Brooks Pierce.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Take Time Off? Author Photo

    David Kouba at Arnold & Porter discusses how attorneys can prioritize mental health leave and vacation despite work-related barriers to taking time off.

  • Law Firms Must Prioritize Mental Health In Internal Comms Author Photo

    The traditional structure of law firms, with their compartmentalization into silos, is an inherent challenge to mental wellness, so partners and senior lawyers should take steps to construct and disseminate internal action plans and encourage open dialogue, says Elizabeth Ortega at ECO Strategic Communications.

  • Our Current Approach To Trial Advocacy Training Is Lacking Author Photo

    The key to trial advocacy is persuasion, but current training programs focus almost entirely on technique, making it imperative that lawyers are taught to be effective storytellers and to connect with their audiences, says Chris Arledge at Ellis George.

  • How Women In Law Can Advance Toward Leadership Roles Author Photo

    Female attorneys in leadership roles inspire other women to pursue similar opportunities in a male-dominated field, and for those who aspire to lead, prioritizing collaboration, inclusivity and integrity is key, says Kim Yelkin at Foley & Lardner.

  • The Case That Took Me From Prosecutor To Defense Attorney Author Photo

    Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza, now at Wilkinson Stekloff, recalls the challenges of her first case as a civil defense attorney — a multibillion-dollar multidistrict class action against Allergan — and the lessons she learned about building rapport in the courtroom and with co-counsel.

  • The Importance Of Legal Macroeconomics Education For Attys Author Photo

    Most legal professionals lack understanding of the macroeconomic trends unique to the legal industry, like the rising cost of law school and legal services, which contributes to an unfair and inaccessible justice system, so law school courses and continuing legal education requirements in this area are essential, says Bob Glaves at the Chicago Bar Foundation.

  • What ABA Student Well-Being Standards Mean For Law Firms Author Photo

    While the American Bar Association's recent amendments to its law school accreditation standards around student well-being could have gone further, legal industry employers have much to learn from the ABA's move and the well-being movement that continues to gain traction in law schools, says David Jaffe at the American University Washington College of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Build Rapport In New In-House Role? Author Photo

    Tim Parilla at LinkSquares explains how new in-house lawyers can start developing relationships with colleagues both within and outside their legal departments in order to expand their networks, build their brands and carve their paths to leadership positions.

  • What Attys Should Consider Before Taking On Pro Bono Work
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Piper Hoffman and Will Lowrey at Animal Outlook lay out suggestions for attorneys to maximize the value of their pro bono efforts, from crafting engagement letters to balancing workloads — and they explain how these principles can foster a more rewarding engagement for both lawyers and nonprofits.

  • Roundup

    Ask A Mentor Author Photo

    As the legal profession undergoes a dramatic period of change, experts answer questions on career and workplace conundrums in this Law360 guest article series.

  • 7 Ways Attys Can Improve Their LinkedIn Summaries Author Photo

    Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.

  • How Law Firms And Attys Can Combat Imposter Syndrome Author Photo

    Imposter syndrome is rampant in the legal profession, especially among lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, leading to missed opportunities and mental health issues — but firms can provide support in numerous ways, and attorneys can use therapeutic strategies to quiet their inner critic, says Helen Pamely at Rosling King.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

NEWLeaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech & AI Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact